Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to headphones, and, more specifically, to headphones that include in-ear headphones, ear-buds or ear-sets including an ergonomic cushion generally designed to be worn in a user's concha and configured to provide comfort, while reducing or avoiding unintended dislodging of the headphones.
Discussion of the Related Art
Headphones have miniature speakers to deliver sound and to allow a user to listen to an audio source privately. Headphones can also be used to provide audio from a portable or mobile device to a user. With the wider adoption of mobile devices, headphones use also is growing. In addition, with the increased audio applications provided by the mobile devices, the time duration of headphones wear also is increasing. Therefore, what is needed is a headphone that provides a user's superb audio experience, while offering enhanced comfort even during long hours of wear.
A headphone typically is worn in or around a user's ear. FIG. 1 is an illustration of certain anatomy parts of a human outer ear according to the related art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the helix is the prominent rim of a human outer ear. The human outer ear also includes the antihelix, which is a curved promience of cartilage generally parallel with and in front of the helix. The antihelix forms a “Y”-like shape. The depression in the “fork” of the “Y”-like shape formed by the antihelix is referred to as the fossa triangularis. The “upper” parts of the ‘Y”-like shape formed by the antihelix are referred to as “crus antihelicis superioris” (illustrated to be the right of the fossa triangularis in FIG. 1) and “crus antihelicis inferioris” (illustrated to be the left of the fossa triangularis in FIG. 1). The depression or the groove between the helix and the antihelix is the scapha.
The concha is the hollow or the space between the anterior portion of the antihelix and is divided by the crus helix into the cymba above and the cavum below. The cymba conche is the narrowest end of the concha. The cavum conchae is the larger bowl-shaped hollow or space in front of the ear canal (not shown). The human outer ear also includes the tragus, which is a small pointed eminence and is situated in front of the cavum conchae. Just above the lobus auriculae or the earlobe, the human outer ear includes the antitragus. The tragus and the antitragus are separated by the incisura intertragica or the intertragic notch. The inventors focus on fitting a headphone within a user's cavum conchae region. An example of this cavum conchae region is illustrated with a shaded region in FIG. 1.